The 25' tall X 25' wide oak tree was commissioned as a major artistic element for Rock Creek Grill, a high-end destination restaurant located near Washington, DC. The expansive tree, growing beneath a domed ceiling in the center of the room, creates a warmly intimate setting reminiscent of the regional oaks of nearby Rock Creek Park.
Rock Creek Grill - Washington, DC

NatureMaker, Inc

NatureMaker® specializes in the design, engineering, custom fabrication and installation of original arboreal sculpture: Steel Art Trees™.
- Steel: the intricate, engineered sub-structure of each tree.
- Art: its level of detail, authenticity, scope, scale, and form.
- Trees: NatureMaker's focus and passion for well over three decades.
Each tree created by NatureMaker is “87 percent botanically accurate.” The remaining percentage represents equal portions of artistic license, skill and the love of Nature that defines the Studio's creations.
The art of engineering and the crafting of a Steel Art Tree begin with a thorough understanding of the client's vision, the architecture and design of his space, as well as his budget. At the outset, certified welders create a steel structure that conforms to design and engineering specifications. NatureMaker's proprietary bark texture, hand-applied to the steel core, is meticulously carved, painted, and nuanced to visually represent the minutiae of the tree specimen. The bark texture is equally authentic to the touch. Once completed, the tree is dismantled, labeled, and shipped as a series of telescopically interlocking components. The final on-site assembly and detailing by NatureMaker artists imbue each sculpture with a seamless, organic quality.
NatureMaker's Steel Art Trees add value for their intrinsic artistry, their capacity to stir the imagination and engage the viewer; they also provide practical design and architectural solutions. Forty percent of NatureMaker trees are structurally engineered to serve as decorative coverings for load-bearing columns: these steel or concrete beams carefully camouflaged with the knots, roots, snag limbs, and burls of ancient oak, cypress, banyan, birch, or numerous other varieties. Other practical applications include interactive/exhibit trees, multi-story monumental trees, walk-through and wall mounted trees.
Over the past three decades, the caliber and quality of NatureMaker's commissions – whether for luxury homes, prestigious hotels, resorts, casinos, retail, museums, health care, libraries, lobbies/atriums, public art projects, restaurants and theme parks – has been a force in establishing the aesthetic of Nature on a grand scale indoors.